Improvement in track-clearers



M. POOLE.

TRACK-CLEARER.

No.188,178, Patented March 6,1877.

Mezzfoz:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MIDDLETON POOLE, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF HIS RIGHT TO WILLIAM MGORORY, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN TRACK-CLEARERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 188,178, dated March 6, 1877; application filed January 10, 1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MIDDLETON PooLE, of Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in a Self-Adjusting Flange and Track-Cleaner for Street-Railroads, which in provement is fully set forth in the following specification and drawing.

The object of my invention is to furnish a machine for clearing the track of street railroads from snow, ice, mud, dirt, stone, or ground, or anything that may impede the speed of the car.

This machine is self-adjustin g when letdown on the track, and cleans the track both on the top, on the inside of the rail where the flange of the car-Wheels run, throwing any impediments which may be 011 the rails either way, so as to leave the track perfectly clear and unobstructed for the wheels.

In the drawing, Figure l is a perspective view of the flange and track-cleaner in its working position. No.2 shows a rear view of the shovel and rear end of spring and the upright to which the shovel is attached. No. 3 shows a front view of the shovel, upright, and the knuckle-joint, showing the manner of the attachment of the shovel to the upright and the attachment of the upright to the beam.

Letter or in Fig. 1 gives a perspective view of the shovel in its working position. Letter 0 shows the point of the shovel extending below for the purpose of cleaning the inside of the rail for the flange of the wheel. Letter 12 shows a stay attached to the beam, and extends back to the shoyel to keep it in position and prevent it from going forward. Letter 0 shows the upright, with the shovel attached to it. Letter 01 shows the rear end of the beam to which the upright is attached. Letter m represents the knuckle-joint or hinge of the upright to the beam. Letter 1 represents the spring, consisting of leaves, with its attachment to the beam at p p, with two bolts, and its manner of acting upon the shovel. Letter d shows the left beam; 0, the right beam,with its attachment to the center sill of the car, and d to the left or outside sill of the car. Letters 0 0 represent the attachment of the two beams to the sills of the car. Letter n represents the left sill and It the middle sill of the car. Letter f represents the chain attached to the beam and to the rack 9. Letter g represents the rack, and i the handle of the same, which is used for the purpose of lifting or raising up the track-cleaner from the rail. Letter j represents the catch for holding the rack up in position when raised. Letter h represents a spring which presses or throws the rack onto the catch. Letter q represents the rail, with the track-cleaner in position. Letter t shows the flange of the wheel on the inside of the rail, and s the ear-wheel.

It will be seen in Fig. 1 that the shovel, in its position on the track, is so attached to the beam above by the upright. with its knucklejoint, that when it comes in contact with anything which it cannot remove from the rail, the point moves back ward and the whole trackcleaner rises up and passes over the object, and is thrown in place by the spring in the rear.

This track-cleaner is attached to the fore part of the sills of the car, immediately in front of the two front wheels on each side.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The hinged shovel or plow a. with spring l, stay b, and beams d e, in combination with the adjusting-rack g, and handle 2', arranged substantially as shown and described.

2. A snow-plow orshovel, a, provided with point r and hinge-joint m, in combination with a spring, I, stay I), and beams 01 c, all arranged as shown and specified.

3. The snow-cleaner herein described, consisting of the shovel or plow a, provided with knuckle-joint 'm, the spring I, beams d 0, stay I), adjusting-rack g, and handle '5, all constructed and arranged, substantially as shown and described.

MIDDLETON POOLE.

Witnesses:

G. J. MARRIOTT, ADAM SCHNEIDER. 

